As If School Wasn't Hard Enough
by ipreferao3tbh
Summary: As a first-year, Samantha Stormer is going to have a hard time to actually buckle down on her studies with all of the chaotic mess that's happening. With the help of her friend Penny, they will have to traverse a whole year with classrooms missing, monsters in the streets, and a looming threat of dangers ahead stopping them at every turn!
1. Wizard City Bus

Samantha grew up with stories of Ravenwood. She loved sitting with her parents and listening to the stories, since in Marleybone magic isn't practiced and she only sees the little bit that is done in secret. Some help washing the dishes, grabbing the sweater you forgot in the last room. Small stuff, away from the eyes of the neighbors.

But neither of her parents could resist her when she asked for stories from their school years.

Her father, top of his class with Storm and Professor Balestrom's personal favorite (on account that he would frequently go to the Shopping District pizza cart for lunch and always, _always,_ bring an extra slice back for him). He would go on about the things he learned, the friends he made, and the extra freedoms you got when you were a good student and always did your work. His stories were interesting, but he always ended them with a lesson for her to learn, which frankly just soiled the point of the story.

Her mother, on the other hand, was a Death student. She was. . . passable, but equipped with much more interesting stories. Stories about the adventures she went on when she just couldn't focus on homework and did things she called "field-trips". Report due on the migration patterns of all the Death fish? Other students would go to the library and copy over information. What did she do when the words start to bleed together after mere minutes and she couldn't stop drooling over the pages? Well, once she found out that bonefish live right in the lake in the Commons, she did the Smart Thing and

jumped right in. And caught it with her bare hands.

She described it has colder than what she expected, but just as sharp as she thought. She still has a scar on his pointer finger, lined completely diagonal from where it struggled.

She turned up to class with a bonefish in a tank way too small named Mr. Skelly, a hand decorated in a crisscross of bandages, and an oral presentation about what she 'learned'. Malistaire gave her the highest grade she had gotten at school, A-.

"The minus," Malistaire said in the cold voice he always had but with less of an edge than his brother. "Is because I asked a report on all fish, and while you have undoubtedly brought the most creative and - unique report, I cannot give you a perfect grade when you didn't complete it."

"I think that's completely fair, sir." She said, looking him straight in the face.

She would describe his face as "it looked like it was incredibly difficult for him to stop from smiling" and he dismissed her his classroom.

Mr. Skelly is still alive (or, as alive as a bonefish could be) and well, and is the family fish. Truth be told, leaving behind Mr. Skelly is one of the toughest choices Samantha had to make about going to Ravenwood, but she had to make do.

"He'll still be here when you get back." Her father told her, and her mother had a twinkle in her eye like she had a plan. Samantha was too depressed at the time to wonder what she was thinking, instead just peering at Mr. Skelly with sad eyes.

Even at the bus station she had to ask her parents "Tell Mr. Skelly why I had to leave him, please, I don't want him to be mad at me."

Her father laughed and brought her in a comforting hug. "I promise. I'm sure he will understand, and is just as excited for you to come back as we are." Neither of them mentioned that she was getting up there in age, at 13, and should be more worried at how the other kids look at her like she tells herself.

She tries not to notice anybody else at the station and hugs her father back greedily. This is the last hug she will be getting in a year, she wants to treasure it.

She couldn't see that every other child waiting at the bus station was in the same boat as her, even the fifth years leaving home for the last time were huddled in embraces, happy about where they're going but sad at what they're leaving behind.

Her mother was next and she gave her a much tighter embrace, and when they let go she had a sad smile on, and handed her one of her bags - a suitcase with a smooth black handle. She also had two duffle bags of her stuff, all with a tag saying "Samantha Stormer", but her parents had those covered. "The bus will be here any minute."

"Not soon enough." She replied on instinct, but worried that that might have been too harsh, since her dad is starting to tear up but is having a tough time hiding it.

Maybe not, since her mom just laughed. At the end of the street she could see the blue bus coming in their direction and they all grabbed her bags in preparation. She stared at it in anticipation, seeing details as it inches closer. She saw in the front, written in large black font MARLEYBONE CITY BUS, and the bus driver was hard to see through the windows - probably charmed so they wouldn't be in focus for anybody not a wizard - and last but not least there was a hand painted (by someone with bad handwriting) banner stuck to the side with Welcome New Students! all in different colors. It had seven stick figure students holding hands in different colors, and only to someone who knew would be able to tell that it is colors corresponding to each magic school.

It was the brightest thing that ever passed through dull and grey Marleybone.

The doors opened and the driver called out "Any new students coming aboard?" Samantha could see that the driver is an unusually peppy orange tabby, who had the largest smile she has ever seen on a cat.

There were a few cheers, including Samantha yelling excitedly.

They smiled, with two sharp teeth showing through and their yellow eyes alert and happy. "I thought so! Just put your bags all in the back and come on in and grab a seat!"

It was a very short, unorganized line of children stuffing their things in the back and running back to climb in. The older students waited for the younger ones, for the most part, and it wasn't long before Samantha was sparing one last look at her parents empty-handed.

"Bye sweetheart." Her father said in a shaky voice, tears starting to spill out. He was gripping her mother's hand slightly too tight as they waved away. Samantha could see them through the window and saw her father finally breakdown completely, gripping his wife and crying into her shoulder.

It made her tear up and miss them terribly, even if the bus only just started moving.

"Everyone sit down!" The driver shouted as the door closed and it slowly drove over the cobblestone street. Samantha saw her hometown drift out of view and while the rest of the best started chatting excitedly about their summer break, or what they expect when they get back, she pressed her face to the glass and let it fog up.

"Are you nervous?"

Samantha turned around to see a girl, about her age, now sitting next to her. She was darkly tanned and black dress with a lot of pockets. Samantha wanted to say something witty and funny but all that came out was "Very. What about you?"

She nodded, her curls bouncing with her head. "I've been dreaming about this day for forever! But I'm still so nervous about attending. I bet that makes me sound dumb, doesn't it?"

"Oh no! I know exactly what you mean!" Samantha agreed furiously. "I just don't know what to expect, you know? Both my parents came here, and they even met here, so I've been waiting for my chance ever since they started telling stories about it."

"My parents went to Ravenwood too!" The girl looked ecstatic to find more things in common. "But they didn't meet there. That's so romantic! I wonder if any of the teachers will recognize us." She held her hand out, all formal like, and introduced herself. "I'm Penny!"

She took her hand and shook it vigorously. "Nice to meet you. I'm Samantha."

They tried to keep a straight face, but it didn't last long before they cracked and dissolved into giggles.

"Which school were your parents in?" Samantha asks her new friend when she calmed down.

"They were both in Death, and I already know I want to join that one!" Penny said.

She frowned slightly to herself at that, but she quickly covered it by telling the story about her mom and Mr. Skelly. She wasn't as sure as Penny about which school she wants to be in; both Storm and Death have been built up by her parents and both seem fun, but she doesn't know how fun the other houses could be and it just seems like an overwhelming decision.

Luckily, she doesn't have to make a choice right away. She was told that they get a few weeks in where they learn about each school and take personality test to see which one is most compatible before they must make the choice. Who knows what school she will want to join by the end of the year, but hearing about how sure Penny is already makes her feel insecure.

The thought was driven away with the conversation - they talked for the entire ride through the spiral, and when they weren't talking they were participating with the bus driver (Mr. Purfington, he introduced himself eventually) when he kept the energy up with songs and joking with the kids. Usually, she would just stare out the window and watch the scenery go by or watch the colors change and distort when they drive out of their world, but she didn't even glance that way until the bus pulled into a stop.

"Alright kids!" He got up and stood in front of them "We arrived here in Olde Town, and we will be walking in a group to Ravenwood. To prevent getting lost, first years must stick together and follow me."

Samantha immediately buddied up with Penny, and it would have ended very awkwardly if she didn't do the same, but fortunately nothing that world-destroyingly depressing happened and they walked off the bus together, elbows linked like they were afraid to be torn apart.

Olde Town was a wide opened space that seemed to be the center point for all traffic coming and going. It was bustling with activity, with Samantha being able to see the most active points being the message board filled with pins and the auction house, with people walking in, out, looking happy, unsatisfied, or coming upon the realization that they got scammed.

Samantha and Penny were linked by their elbows, and Samantha tightened her grip in excitement.

They all walked ahead together in a large, chaotic group of loud 13-year-old's who are too busy absorbing their environments to look directly in front of their feet. They all tripped semi-frequently.

From Olde Town they walked into the Shopping District, where they lost most of the older students from their little tour group. First years couldn't leave the group to shop, but they were introduced to all the stores in the area. Stores selling wands, clothes, furniture, and even dye! Almost all the older students went to the new store, which had signs of shiny jewels advertising their presence. Mr. Purfington explained that they sold jewels, and Samantha thought it was a lot of attention to pay to a store that sold pretty rocks, but who knows - maybe these ones can actually be useful.

She smelled the food carts before she saw them - it filled the air with warm wafts of freshly prepared food that made her stomach growl, and their driver/tour guide promised a lunch break after they get to their rooms in Ravenwood.

"I want to go to the ice cream one when we come back!" Penny said excitedly. She gestured to a older, portly man with his cart selling flavors such as 'Electric Blueberry' and 'Myth-tifying Lemon'.

"I want a slice of pizza." She glanced over the other carts selling pretzels and kabobs but couldn't find the pizza cart her father mentioned always going to. She was starting to get disappointed.

"I think that cart sells pizza." Penny pointed at the store that sold accessories and, as they walked closer, a colorful umbrella was starting to show itself. Then, the 'cart' that doubled itself as the brick oven that made the pizza could be easily seen, along with the woman rolling out fresh dough.

Her father had passed on the knowledge in one of his stories that the oven was charmed so that the fire was hot enough to bake the pizza, but cool to the touch and easily transferrable so the oven could be folded and moved to whatever location the owner wants it to be.

"I'm coming back for that!" Samantha said excitedly and Penny giggled.

Leaving the Shopping District led to the Commons, but it was a straight-shot to Ravenwood so they didn't see much of it, besides the sparkling lake.

"There's bonefish in them there waters." Samantha said in a funny voice, which she thinks may have been a reference to something her father experienced when he made a trip to the mortal world before she was born - and while she doesn't know if Penny got the reference she didn't get, she still laughed with her anyway and it made her feel good.

Their giggles died up though when they came face to face with a very intimidating tree - possibly a pirate tree, but without the eyepatch.

"Got the new batch of students for you, Bartleby!" Mr. Purfington.

The tree laughed in a deep, whispery voice that gave off more wisdom than Samantha have ever heard. "New students to learn the art of magic is always appreciated."

He smiled a toothy grin and turned to the students. "Well, girl's dorm is on the right, and boy's dorm is on the left. Each room is posted with your name and the schedule you will follow for the first few weeks. Toodle-loo!" He waved before walking back out, assumingly back to his bus.

Unless bus drivers have a life outside of driving buses, which just sound unlikely.

The boys and girls separated excitedly and inside the dorms was a long hallway (much longer than she thought - the outside gave off the impression of a thin castle type building) and each room had a name plaques on them.

"Here's mine!" Penny pointed towards a door that said -

"Penny Dreadful?!" Samantha exclaimed. "Or the Marleybone Dreadfuls?"

"Yeah," she shrugged sheepishly. "I'm sorry for not telling you sooner."

She didn't elaborate exactly why, just glanced around at the other girls filing in loudly and looked like she wanted to be in a less crowded place, but all Samantha noticed was that she became friends with someone famous. A celebrity! A local one, honestly, but a celebrity!

She started to worry if she came off as uncool at all.

"Let's find yours!" Penny changed the subject quickly. She grabbed her wrist and led down until they reached the S's, and abruptly stopped in front of the door that looked exactly like the rest of them but instead with Samantha on it.

"It's so far away." Penny frowned.

"But not too far." She replied.

She sighed. "I guess." She mumbled ruefully, but reluctantly left her to unpack and decompress.

Samantha doesn't know if her school year just got harder or easier to survive.

(AN: Some facts - I couldn't find an actual age they started school so I made it 13, it's canon that people don't use magic in Marleybone so I made it a world mixed with wizards and mortals, this is intended to have a large on going plot and will use a lot of elements from the game but I want to minimize exact dialogue and plots so I don't make the same mistake twice. This came out of a want to play the game but since I play for free it's a rather slow and repetitive process. Thank you for reading!)


	2. A Slight Mix-up

Magic fic 2

Samantha had spent a few hours unpacking and only took a break when Penny came knocking on her door, asking if she wanted to go to lunch. Before she knew it she was falling face first onto her bed, face still covered in pizza grease, and she only had the energy to kick her shoes off.

She woke up when the pale-yellow streams of light filled her room, which was. . . strange. She usually doesn't wake up until noon if she doesn't have an alarm. Somehow she knew that it was 8 in the morning even without checking her wall clock.

Best not to look a gift horse in the mouth - she's awake, rested, and ready to be productive.

"Wake up!" Samantha knocked loudly at Penny's door, most likely disturbing every girl on the hallway. "We gotta go! Wake up, Penny!"

Penny opened the door, alarmed but fully dressed. "Where's the fire?"

"I just missed you." She said instinctively, but worried that that might be too sincere for a new friendship.

Penny relaxed and laughed, "You scared me!" she teased, but in a friendly way.

She was about to close the door before Samantha stopped her, "don't forget to grab the - "she pointed at her door before she noticed that it was missing something.

"Grab what?"

"There is supposed to be a note taped to your door." Samantha pulled her own note out and gave it to Penny. "It has time where we're supposed to meet Headmaster Ambrose. Where's yours?" She regretted asking her that when a look of worry and anxiety passed through her face.

"Why'd you suppose I didn't get one?"

"I'm sure it was just some mix-up." Samantha replied. "Or - or maybe he only meets the students he thinks could be troublemakers!" If he remembered her mother than it would be very realistic that she would get a note from him, but Headmaster Ambrose wouldn't single a student out that way. He wants to have at least one chat with every first year, at least to meet them.

Her parents told her all about how well they knew Headmaster Ambrose. Both for different reasons - her mother because she would continuously get into trouble for whatever reason, and her father liked to claim he was "the best student in the school" and that he would constantly come up to accept praise for his intelligence.

He revealed that he just liked to talk to the Headmaster about a lot of things, and he just didn't want to seem "too nerdy" so he claimed otherwise. Headmaster Ambrose would always make time for his students if they had something to say.

"Are you saying that just to make me feel better?"

"Absolutely." Samantha said, as other girls started to leave their rooms. The hallway was going to get full soon with people all leaving in the same direction. "But I'm sure there's someone we can talk to about this."

"And it wouldn't make you late?" Penny asked.

The note said be there at 10, but finding someone to talk to couldn't possibly take that long. "I'm positive that it won't!" She smiled, and Penny smiled back, and they both felt the feeling of friendship warming them up inside.

Penny took the lead, which didn't make much of a difference, but they did run into an older, friendly looking fire student hanging out near Bartleby, and Penny voiced the idea of asking him where to go.

But it caused a look of pure anxiety to wash over at the thought. "How should I say it without sounding dumb? Do you think we're bothering him?"

Samantha puffed up her chest in a comically heroic way. "I got this." She thought ending it with 'fair maiden' might have been too much, so she just walked over to the boy in confident, loud stomps.

The boy, Simeon, thought it was only mildly funny but he did point her in the right direction. "You'll be wantin' Mr. Lincoln. He'll be in Golem court, you know where that is?"

"Of course." She lied.

They got lost trying to find Golem court. On the Brightside, they got to walk the entirety of the Commons - they saw the library, made plans to check out the Pet Pavilion together before they would be swamped with work, even tried to go down Unicorn way before a burly guard put a hand on their shoulders and gently but threateningly steered them away.

They walked the fairgrounds twice before Penny noticed the archway with 'Golem Court' painted above it to the left, slightly hidden away and in the corner of their peripheries.

"I feel - wait hold on." Penny doubled over panting.

"Take your time." Samantha said, covered in a layer of sweat. Thank goodness, she doesn't have a uniform yet; if she had to wear a cloak and robe instead of t-shirt and shorts she would have passed out 10 minutes into their 45-minute walk it took to stop being lost.

"It was right there the whole time!" Penny exclaimed, gesturing wildly to puncture her disbelief that it took so long to notice it was there.

"Not our fault," Samantha started, again in her playful exaggerated tone to make sure she knows she joking. "We're first years. Simeon should have expected us to get lost, thus it's all his fault that he didn't give us detailed directions."

"Didn't you tell him not too?" Penny asked while they walked through the gateway.

"That is also Simeon's fault." Samantha said.

Penny chuckled, and Samantha knew that it probably didn't do much to make her feel better, but he mother taught her that if you made someone laughed than you eased at least some of their anxiety.

That's how her parents bond more often than not.

It wasn't hard to find Mr. Lincoln - once they laid eyes on the haggard adult furiously checking papers, trying to assure the kids anxiously asking questions, they knew they found the one.

"Mr. Lincoln!" Penny yelled as they both excitedly made their way over to him.

"I can't - " he waved a feathered hand at them wildly. A few feathers fell off. "I can't _tell_ you how to do the test to get to the school you want."

"Oh no, sir." Penny reassured him, and Samantha didn't know if she used 'sir' because she thinks it will get better results from him or if she has that much respect/fear from authority. "We just needed help, is all."

"With what?" He asked, looking no less haggard. His beak clamped soundly when he asked that and it made another wave of anxiety show over Penny's face.

"Oh, well . . . " she started "It's just that - it might not even be a problem really but it made me worry an all . . . " she didn't finish.

"She didn't get a time for the meeting with Ambrose." Samantha took charge, and Penny gave her a look of appreciative relief and embarrassment.

"Every registered student gets a time." He replied.

"She didn't."

He sighed. "What's her name?" He poised his pen over his notebook of papers.

"Penny Dreadful."

"Of the Marleybone Dreadfuls?" He squawked. Penny blushed.

"The very same."

"Well obviously there must be some grave mix-up." Mr. Lincoln said as he quickly scanned his papers. The environment grew quickly tense when he flipped to the next page, and they watched his eyes rove over the names with a growing anxiety when they never stopped.

He flipped another page and Penny started picking at her nails.

He flipped to the first page again. Samantha broke into a cold sweat.

"I'm sorry miss Dreadful," he shook his head sadly "but your name isn't on my list."

"Oh." Penny physically slumped so much Samantha thought she was fainting.

"But we can't have a Dreadful going to any school other than Ravenwood. Especially Wysteria. That would just be a shame." He sighed. "Talk to Headmaster Ambrose as soon as you can to sort out this problem."

Samantha, so ecstatic that there was finally something in this problem she can fix herself, turns to Penny excitedly. "We can go during my time!"

"That was at ten right?" Penny asked, as Mr. Lincoln turned his attention to more students in need of his help.

They thought for a second. It had taken so long for them to find Golem court, but when they concentrated on what time it could be in that moment, it was clear and exact.

10:27.

Samantha immediately took off like a spell, stirring up sand and Mr. Lincoln's fallen feathers. Penny was close on her ankles and they made it to Headmaster Ambrose's place of working in slightly more than two minutes time.

Miraculously, it was right when another student was leaving. Samantha, panting and sweating, ran into a young boy. Another first year but still smaller and scrawnier than he had any right to be. She knocked him clear back into the room and he landed on his back with an 'oomph'.

"I'm so sorry!" Samantha said too loudly. She help out a damp palm to help him up but he picked himself up without a word and stared her down, looking terrified but ready to take whatever she will dish out.

It made Samantha feel like a gigantic bully.

"Matthew," An old man - Headmaster Ambrose - addressed the boy gently. "Please leave us."

Matthew scurried out of there quickly, but mindful to swerve out of Penny's way as she came barreling through. She let the heavy door swing behind her.

"You are very late." Headmaster Ambrose told them. He stood with a cane, looking especially dignified with a long, grey beard. He looked like exactly what she imagined he would.

A stern looking owl clicked disapprovingly at their actions.

"I'm sorry sir." Penny said, and bowed in respect. "It's all my fault - Samantha tried to help me when I didn't receive a time like the other students. We went looking for Mr. Lincoln but I got us lost. . . "

"We got lost together." She interrupted.

"It can certainly be hard to find your way somewhere you've never been before." He said.

"Almost impossible, sir." Penny said respectfully.

"It would still be smart to do the _respectful_ thing and came here as soon as you realized you were late." The owl said.

"Don't be so hard on them, Gamma." Headmaster Ambrose said as Penny even more disappointed in herself, which didn't make sense to Samantha since it wasn't even _her_ that was late.

"What is this about not receiving a meeting time?" He asked.

"Mr. Lincoln made it sound like she wasn't registered as a student . . . ?" Samantha left it hanging in the air as Headmaster Ambrose, after hearing that it could a problem on his part, immediately went to his desk with papers strewn all over the place. "Her name is Penny Dreadful." She provided without being asked.

"Of the Marleybone Dreadfuls?" His eyebrows raised "Oh no, there must be some way to fix this." It didn't take a lot of shuffling for him to hold up an important looking piece of paper. "I seem to have misplaced her registration form. With everything that's been happening - "

He stopped himself from continuing walked back to them. "I will send this to Mr. Lincoln as soon as possible. The problem will be fixed before tomorrow morning. You are now a registered student, Miss Dreadful."

She beamed, and Samantha got the urge to jump up and down but she had exercised enough for today and her knees need a break.

He smiled, and Gamma looked slightly less disapproving.

"Now," He turned to Samantha. "Miss Stormer."

The mood turned sour again as she waited for her punishment.

"It sounds like you have the makings of your mother." He smiled.

"Thank you," She decided to take it as a compliment even though it could have easily meant something else.

"Okay, let's start." He sighed. "In case you aren't aware of why I called you in, I like to formally introduce myself to all new students. I use the allotted time to allow for any questions you may have about the school or anything you may want to let me know before you get started." It sounded memorized - possibly the same thing he tells every student.

"Usually we don't have as much time as we do now, but there are far less students entering this year, and considering that you are now the last student I'm seeing today, you have considerably more time than usual. "

"But don't take this as a reason to disregard the rules again." Gamma warned. "We give times out to get students in the habit of keeping track of time. If you are late for this, then it looks like it would be hard to keep up with your classes."

"I understand." Samantha held up to the scrutiny as Penny, still present, shrunk on her behalf.

Headmaster Ambrose chuckled. "Now you remind me of your father. Splitting image of both your parents. You know he has a portrait of himself hanging in the boy's dorm?"

"I never knew that."

"It's protocol for anyone who goes above and beyond with their academics while studying here."

He told her all about his studies and how hard he worked to get good grades, but she never assumed he went 'above and beyond'. He made it sound like he was always working against something. "I'm going to send an angry letter home and why I was never told this."

Gamma and Ambrose laughed.

"I'm sure he can already feel he's in 'hot water', as they say." Headmaster joked. "But nonetheless, if you don't have anything else to ask, then I can dismiss you."

The closed gate to Unicorn Way wandered through her mind after she said "I have nothing to ask."

"Then you will receive a temporary two week class schedule for you to get to know how things run and be introduced to all the professors." He looked between the two of them. "I think it would be favorable if you two got similar schedules, do you agree?"

"I think that's completely favorable." Samantha said and Penny nodded vigorously.

He smiled. "Then you are dismissed."


End file.
